Well, whatever it is, no you didn't gain 3lbs of "muscle" in a month. The machine is wrong.

That's just not likely.

Muscle gain is a few pounds a year - if you're trying really hard to gain it, you're on a calorie surplus, and it helps if you're a guy, too.

A woman on a calorie deficit will not gain muscle mass, she will lose it. She will certainly not have enough additional nutrition and energy in her system to create 3lbs of new muscle mass in that short a time frame.

CHI-OPATRA
Posts:
8
2/27/13 4:38 P

My mistake, it is Biospace, not BioSphere. Anyway, it uses frequencies to test body composition.

CHI-OPATRA - that machine is not familiar to me, and google is a bit unhelpful. Could you explain what the process is for testing?

CHI-OPATRA
Posts:
8
2/27/13 12:43 P

Thanks for all of the replies! The analysis is using a BioSphere machine and the numbers are specifically for skeletal muscle mass and body fat. It also weights and gives a percentage of water (intracellular and extracellular) in the body, so that is counted separately.

So, who knows. I hadn't been working out regularly for some time before the start of this and the first analysis, so it makes sense that any positive changes would level out after that first month.

It seems like I can at least interpret it as what I'm doing is having a positive impact, and if I keep doing it, hopefully I will continue to see the changes I'm hoping for. I will definitely plan to discuss it further with the trainers at the gym, too, to make sure they think they changes measured are accurate.

Muscle and tendons can increase over time, as can the volume of blood for people who exercise regularly and intensely. Increases do happen, but generally only slowly.

Water is the biggest variable, and can change from day to day (or even hour to hour) depending on your hydration levels. A single 8 oz glass of water weighs half a pound.

It is also very common for your muscles to retain water when you start/increase an exercise program. This is water, rather than muscle tissue, but it is part of your lean mass.

A 3-5 pound increase in lean mass is not uncommon at the start of an exercise program, but this is largely a one-off effect. The fact that this matches your fat loss over a month is just a coincidence of timing - over time you can expect your fat loss to continue, while further increases in your lean mass will be very gradual (if any).

M@L

SPARK_COACH_JEN
Posts:
62,407
2/27/13 5:55 A

Sorry, Chi. I should I read more closely when you talked about the timeframe in which you got these results. The previous posters are correct that it takes much longer to bulid 3 pounds of lean muscle.

If so, no. You cannot put on 3 lbs of "skeletal muscle mass" in 1 month -- especially if you're in a calorie deficit for weight loss. Unless you are on anabolic steroids. So it must be something else. Most likely water masking a 3 lbs weight loss. It will come off if you take a week off from working out and do a carb refeed.

Your body isn't made up of only two physical structures - fat and muscle. Muscle building is exceptionally slow and difficult, and pretty much impossible in a calorie deficit.

However, the ultimate result is the same. You lost 3lbs of fat, and you gained 3lbs of "lean body tissue". That can be muscle, organs, bone density, or even just stored water! But it's definitely not a bad thing that it's there, and the 3lbs fat loss will start to show up soon if you keep up these habits (there's only so much lean body tissue you can put on, realistically).

SPARK_COACH_JEN
Posts:
62,407
2/26/13 5:20 P

Those are great results! Typically you lose at least a small amount of muscle when you lose fat, but it sounds like you've been able to build muscle and lose fat at the same time. I'd say keep up the great work!

Coach Jen

CHI-OPATRA
Posts:
8
2/26/13 2:17 P

Hi there, This is a pretty specific question, but I'd love any input from folks who know about these things, and hopefully it will be applicable to others, as well!

I'm doing a 2 month program at my gym that kicks off with an InBody body composition analysis and then compares that to another one at the end of the 2 months.

I've been tracking my food, eating (mostly) within my SP calorie range and working out at least 5 days per week, including running and strength training. I'm now one month into the competition and things worked out so that I got to have a mid-way analysis yesterday.

I learned that although I haven't lost any weight overall (it has been so frustrating watching the scale NOT move and the way my clothes fit NOT change!), I've lost 3 lbs of body fat and gained 3 lbs of skeletal muscle mass.

I ran out of time to talk with the trainer/dietician about this, and she just had time to say it was good progress. I'm happy to see the numbers moving in the right directions.

I guess I'm wondering if anyone has any insight into this based on their own experience. Is this typical, to see a proportionate increase in muscle/decrease in fat? I don't have a lot of weight to lose, I mostly want to be in better shape and be stronger, with a bit less cushion! So, is this the right kind of change to be seeing in one month as far as the numbers go? Is there anything I should think about shifting knowing that my ultimate goals are less about the number on the scale and more about increasing my fitness and hopefully looking slimmer and fitting better into my pants as a side benefit?

I plan to talk with a trainer at the gym about it further next week when I have a chance, but thought I'd check in here until then.

SparkPeople, SparkCoach, SparkPages, SparkPoints, SparkDiet, SparkAmerica, SparkRecipes, DailySpark, and other marks are trademarks of SparkPeople, Inc. All Rights Reserved. No portion of this website can be used without the permission of SparkPeople or its authorized affiliates.
SPARKPEOPLE is a registered trademark of SparkPeople, Inc. in the United States, European Union, Canada, and Australia. All rights reserved.

NOTE: Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy last updated on October 25, 2013